Chrysanthemum plant named ‘FIMMDAYPI’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Fimmdaypi’ characterized by its upright to outwardly spreading and uniformly mounded plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; medium-size decorative-type inflorescences with dark pink-colored ray florets; early season-flowering habit; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘FIMMDAYPI’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium, commercially grown as a garden Chrysanthemum plant and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Fimmdaypi’.

The new Chrysanthemum plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Fareham, Hampshire, United Kingdom. The objective of the breeding program is to create new early season-flowering garden Chrysanthemum plants with numerous attractive inflorescences.

The new Chrysanthemum plant originated from a cross-pollination made in January, 2009 by the Inventor in Fareham, Hampshire, United Kingdom of a proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number 92113, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number 82680, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Fareham, Hampshire, United Kingdom in September, 2009.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum plant by terminal vegetative cuttings was first conducted in Fareham, Hampshire, United Kingdom in December, 2009. Asexual reproduction by terminal vegetative cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Fimmdaypi’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Fimmdaypi’ as a new and distinct garden Chrysanthemum plant:

-   -   1. Upright to outwardly spreading and uniformly mounded plant         habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.     -   3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   4. Medium-size decorative-type inflorescences with dark         pink-colored ray florets.     -   5. Early season-flowering habit; grown under natural season         conditions, plants flower in late August in the United Kingdom.     -   6. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the female parent selection. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Grown under natural season conditions, plants of the new         Chrysanthemum flower earlier than plants of the female parent         selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have slightly smaller         inflorescences than plants of the female parent selection.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the female parent         selection differ in ray floret color as plants of the female         parent selection have bronze-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the male parent selection. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the male parent selection, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Grown under natural season conditions, plants of the new         Chrysanthemum flower slightly later than plants of the male         parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the male parent selection         differ in ray floret color as plants of the male parent         selection have lighter pink-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Pink Pamplona Jogger’, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Fareham, Hampshire, United Kingdom, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of ‘Pink Pamplona Jogger’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Grown under natural season conditions, plants of the new         Chrysanthemum flowered earlier than plants of ‘Pink Pamplona         Jogger’.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had larger inflorescences         than plants of ‘Pink Pamplona Jogger’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum plant.

The photograph comprises a top perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Fimmdaypi’ grown in a 19-cm container during the summer in a glass-covered greenhouse in De Lier, The Netherlands. Plants were grown under short day/long night conditions to induce inflorescence initiation and development. Plants were 3.5 months old when the photograph was taken.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following observations and measurements describe plants grown during the winter in 14-cm containers in a glass-covered greenhouse in Fareham, Hampshire, United Kingdom and under cultural practices typical of commercial garden Chrysanthemum production. During the production of the plants, day and night temperatures ranged from 17° C. to 21° C. and light levels averaged 6,000 lux. Plants were grown under long day/short night conditions for six weeks and then grown under short day/long night conditions to induce inflorescence initiation and development. Plants were twelve weeks old when the detailed description was taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, Fifth Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Fimmdaypi’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number 92113,             not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number 82680,             not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About ten days at             temperatures about 21° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About twelve days at             temperatures about 21° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About three             weeks at temperatures about 21° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About four             weeks at temperatures about 21° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; light brown in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant and growth habit.—Herbaceous decorative-type garden             Chrysanthemum; stems upright to outwardly spreading giving a             uniformly mounded appearance to the plant; numerous lateral             branches and relatively short internodes, dense and full             plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 23 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 24 cm.         -   Branching habit.—Freely branching habit; about 20 lateral             branches develop after removal of terminal apex (pinching).         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 5.5 cm. Diameter: About             3 mm. Internode length: About 5 mm. Strength: Strong.             Aspect: About 45° from vertical; stems bending upwardly.             Texture: Fine pubescence. Color: Close to 146D. -   Leaf description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple.         -   Length.—About 4.5 cm.         -   Width.—About 4 cm.         -   Shape.—Palmately-lobed; roughly ovate with three to five             lobes.         -   Apex.—Broadly mucronate to acuminate.         -   Base.—Attenuate to truncate.         -   Margin.—Palmately lobed, sinuses between lateral lobes             divergent; dentate.         -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Fine pubescence; slightly             rough; veins prominent on lower surface.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 137B.             Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 137C. Fully             expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to N137A; venation,             close to 147B. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close             to 147B; venation, close to 147B.         -   Petioles.—Length: About 1.3 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Fine pubescence; slightly             rough. Color, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 147B. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Form and flowering habit.—Decorative-type inflorescence form             with ligulate-shaped ray florets; inflorescences borne on             terminals above and beyond the foliar plane; disc and ray             florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum; freely             flowering habit with about 80 inflorescences developing per             plant.         -   Fragrance.—Fragrant; pungent, herbaceous.         -   Flowering response.—Early season-flowering habit, plants             exposed to natural season conditions begin flowering in late             August in the United Kingdom.         -   Inflorescence longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about three to five weeks on the plant;             inflorescences persistent.         -   Inflorescence buds.—Height: About 3 mm. Diameter: About             4 mm. Shape: Oblate. Color: Close to 147B.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 5 cm.         -   Inflorescence height.—About 1.5 cm.         -   Receptacles.—Height: About 3 mm. Diameter: About 4 mm.             Shape: Ovate. Color: Close to 144D.         -   Ray florets.—Orientation: Initially upright, then about 110°             from vertical. Length: About 2.5 cm. Width: About 7 mm.             Shape: Ligulate. Apex: Emarginate and slightly dentate.             Base: Fused into a short tube. Margin: Entire. Texture,             upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Number of ray             florets per inflorescence: About 153 arranged in about ten             whorls. Color: When opening, upper surface: Close to 70A.             When opening, lower surface: Close to 77C. Fully opened,             upper surface: Close to N79C; color becoming closer to 77B             with development. Fully opened, lower surface: Close to 76A;             color becoming closer to 77C with development.         -   Disc florets.—Disc floret development has not been observed             on plants of the new Chrysanthemum.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 18             arranged in about three whorls. Length: About 9 mm. Width:             About 4 mm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Obtuse. Base: Obtuse,             fused. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth,             glabrous; waxy. Texture, lower surface: Fine pubescence;             waxy. Color, upper surface: Close to 138B. Color, lower             surface: Close to 138C.         -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 5 cm. Diameter,             terminal peduncle: About 1 mm. Angle: About 50° from             vertical. Strength: Moderately strong; flexible. Texture:             Fine pubescence. Color: Close to 137B.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: None observed. Gynoecium:             Pistil length: About 6 mm. Stigma shape: Bi-parted. Stigma             color: Close to 8B. Style length: About 4 mm. Style color:             Close to 160C. Ovary color: Close to 157B.         -   Seeds and fruits.—Seed and fruit production has not been             observed on plants of the new Chrysanthemum. -   Disease & pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common     to Chrysanthemum plants has not been observed on plants of the new     Chrysanthemum. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have     demonstrated good garden performance and to tolerate temperatures     from about 0° C. to about 35° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Fimmdaypi’ as illustrated and described. 